Thursday, June 27, 2013

This is copied from The Wikipedia page Ocean of Milk. I found this while looking into human history around the Indian Ocean, after becoming curious of the claw marks on the sea floor on my globe. All web-based information is suspect and cultural misunderstandings keep us confused and divided, but there are threads tying us all together. I think curiosity is one of them.

Hindu mythology also contains a story about the churning of the Cosmic Ocean in order to obtainAmrita - the nectar of immortal life. At the suggestion of Vishnu the gods, (Devas) and demons (Asuras) churn the primeval ocean in order to obtain Amrita which will guarantee them immortality. To churn the ocean they used the Serpent King, Vasuki, for their churning-string. For a churning pole they use Mount Mandara placed on the back of a Great Tortoise - the Kurma Avatar of Vishnu. As the gods and demons churned the sea, a terrible poison issued out of its depths which enveloped the universe. The Devas and Asuras approach Shiva who took the poison into his throat and swallowed it. Shocked by his act, Goddess Parvati strangled his neck and hence managed to stop it in his neck and prevent it from spreading. However, the poison was so potent that it changed the color of his neck to blue, thereby earning him the name of Neelakanta (blue-throated one).[3] When the Amrita finally emerged along with several other treasures the Devas and Asuras fought over it. However Vishnu in the form of Mohini the enchantress manages to lure the Asuras into handing over the Amrita to her, which she then distributes to the Devas. Rahu, an Asura, disguises himself as a Deva and tries to drink some Amrita himself. Surya (the sun-god) and Chandra (the moon-god) alert Vishnu to this deception. Vishnu then decapitates Rahu just as he is about to swallow the nectar, leaving only his head immortal.

According to Bhagavata, outcome of the churning of Ksheerasagara is Halahalam (terribly destructive poison), Amrita (nectar) with Dhanvantari (physician of Gods), Lakshmi (Goddess of Riches), Jyestha (Goddess of Poverty), Chandra (the Moon), a white elephant named Airavata, a horse named Uchchaisrava, Kalpavriksha (the tree that yields whatever is desired).

Then finding all the islands in the Indian Ocean are under the control of some obscure arm of the French govt. seemed like something out of a science fiction story. Far from the gods and demons of ancient India, now it seems like a modern day military initiative to hide something. I'm not sure if they are hiding immortal god heads or crawling around on and studying a gigantic alien life form.

Read this entire article if you're interested. It talks about the ship that supplies the islands. Then link onto Reunion Island, where the "Southern Antarctic Lands" is based. Check out the 1,600 children abducted and deported from 1962 to 1982 from Reunion Island. Or the 2005/2006 deployment of 500 French troops to battle mosquitos. Read about it.

Could all be one big coincidence. These things may have nothing to do with each other. Carvings in the Indian Ocean are weird. Indian Ocean islands under French control seems pretty strange, too. In the article about Reunion Island they also mentioned the island is the only land mass on the opposite side of the continental United States, if you drew a straight line through the earth. A single spot in Montana. Why would they say that? How do they know that so precisely? Wormholes? Seriously... Weird. I think it is fun to wonder about things like this. Might write a short story about it, someday. Doubt it. ha ha ha So if you have a second, copy those links and try to read all of the information. Would love to hear what anyone thinks... Feed your imagination.

Monday, June 24, 2013

I have an old globe of the earth in my office.I found it in one of these random "antique malls". "The Worlds Oceans", is the title and it does, in fact, have a detailed survey of the worlds ocean floor. It is really neat to look at all the submerged mountain ranges and cracks in the ocean bottom. The Mid Atlantic Ridge and dreaming about Atlantis is a lot of fun. Who knows? I do question this globe's information, and understand the science to gather such data would have been limited at that time. And while geographical fact might differ from this dated class room model, one could still assume that SOME of it is accurate, or close. There are truly unexplainable marks at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Claw marks. There is no other description. It looks like something of immense size -I mean ENORMOUS- was drug off the land between Africa and India. Nothing I can even imagine would have been large enough to make such marks. Whatever it was must have clawed and dove into the ocean, to get away presumably. There are NO other such grooves or ridges in ANY of the other oceans. There are fault lines and mountain ranges which starkly contrast to these. In short, no claw marks. Anywhere! I found a peculiar set of islands, directly south of where the claw marks divide into two distinct claw areas. Almost an upside down Y. The Kerguelen Islands (google it) were like no other island chain in the Indian Ocean. I know I have a very vivid imagination, but stay with me. I googled and then linked to Wikipedia and read that the Kerguelen Islands (also known as "The Devastation Islands") is populated ONLY by research scientists. It is actually part of a very unusual plateau, which is mostly submerged. Check this out! A sonar of the topography. The top, left-of-center, tiny green patch is Kerguelen.

Ever wonder why the ancient Gods of Hindus and Persians wore elaborate pointy headdresses? It's because thats what GOD looked like! Tell me that doesn't look like a dead body, skeletal in a way, with a pointy headdress. Maybe arms in front or behind. Of course that assumes it had a humanoid shape, when living. Perhaps Madagascar was another segement. I wonder, was this what fought the thing making the claw marks, or did it leave them. Either way, according to my globe and its depiction of the Indian Ocean, it was one hell of a fight! And I think it is a little convenient that it isn't populated and the French government keeps engineers and scientists there. As for the deep scratches, the Indian Ocean is a common area for pirates. I doubt new research would even be possible. Coincidence? Anyway, I thought it was absolutely fascinating and I wanted to share. Here is the photo of the globe. The clawing scene I described on the map and Kerguelen is a tiny blip, south from the "C" in "Ocean". Enlarge the image. Those look like claw marks and are in no other ocean bed. Science says seismic activity. What do you think? I've always been so curious about ancient human history and am tired of everything being measured "after Jesus". No offense, Jesus. I've heard it all before. Well, obviously not ALL of it. For instance, how did we go from cave paintings to living in villages? Just decided to try farming all the sudden and the houses all built themselves, I guess. Seems like a big leap with NO (satisfactory) answer to "how" or "why". "Before Christ" is where it all gets hazy. Can you imagine if there truly had been titans in the age of early mankind? History lost to time and court house fires, or religiously kept from public knowledge ... or simply lying, unknown, beneath miles of dark water.

We are influenced by everything around us. Some things influence us directly, like laws. Wear clothes. Stop at red lights. Don't kill people in line in front of you at the grocery store, etc. Other things influence us in subtle ways, sometimes without us realizing they have. Marketing will getcha! One example to illustrate this is the movie The Joy Luck Club. Great movie, by the way. It tells the story of three Chinese American mothers and daughters. Watch it, because I'm not going to spend all day recreating the plot to illustrate this tiny point. The scene I want to go to is of June remembering something her recently deceased Mother said to her, after a particularly upsetting confrontation with one of the other daughters, Waverly. June had been jealous of Waverly since they were little girls, when Waverly was a renowned chess champion. June was taking piano lessons, but was certainly no pro. She carried a life-long shame for not being able to make her mother proud; for not being like Waverly. Her Mom told her she was mistaken. She said, in her thick Asian accent, 'only the best things for Waverly. Tonight, that crab not so good, but you eat anyway. Because you have "best qwalritty heart." In essence, the food was terrible and you didn't complain. I am so proud of you and think you have the best quality heart for accepting the worst quality life. They were both crying as music swelled in the background. It was moving. I dare you to watch it and not at least have watery eyes. But I've been thinking about it, lately. You see my own mother has the best qwalritty heart. She does more than is humanly possible and takes so little for herself. I think many wives and mothers do this. Well I want a best qwalritty heart, too, Mamma. Right? Suffer eternally without complaint? I will just lay down in the same ditch and wait for The Rapture. Well, when I say it like that of course you would reject it, but let a good actress playing a dead Asian mother say it, and watch how fast we all start taking it on the chin. What a load of horse shit! (do excuse me) I want the best quality LIFE! I want my mom to have it, too! Everyone should get to have their perfect fit, their bellies full and their hearts satisfied. You are good for taking the worst? That is terrible and I disagree. I never take too much, but I do sometimes take less than my share because I want to be good. Not to just be seen as good, but actually good, like my mom...like June. A movie helped me feel ennobled about it, but it never left me feeling full. Movies do that to us. Romantic comedies that end at the honeymoon fail to teach couples how to cope at year 7 or 27! We regurgitate lines from TV shows as if the jokes were ours. We give someone our very best, but only in the first few dates. Flowers, late night talks and that new sex you just can't get enough of...until you do, and then find out you don't really like each other, and start over with a stranger. Our compliments are backhanded, our prayers and praise are secret. Sick means good. Phat means attractive. I am only 36 years old and I can agree the good ole days weren't always that good, frankly, but this is ridiculous! Someone needs to invent a decoder ring or "Bullshit to Truth", the dictionary! Unfortunately there are no shows or movies that teach us how to get along and love each other. Those are called commercials! Even if there were such programming, those would not be what we would imitate. We are well-trained sarcastic, jaded consumers. The result is SO complete that we barely realize we are copying the thing that should be copying us. Some people are rarely 5 minutes without some box telling them what to think, where to eat, how to dress, buy and yes...even feel. Yet, no matter how much we buy, we are still disconnected from actually feeling that satisfaction they always hock in ads at Christmas. Never mind that they are only selling more electronics - thinner, smaller and blacker than ever before...and a cornucopia of prescription drugs. Snake oil with side effects. But gosh, don't all the good looking actors always look so clean and happy? I don't mean to rag on movies, shows or shopping. I am nobody to judge. I love The Joy Luck Club and count myself a baron in the land of the smart-asses, I may even be king! But the snark is wearing thin, don't you think? It seems SO important, more than ever before in the history of mankind (dramatic emphasis-ha ha) that we remember we are not on a movie set. The people around us aren't supporting cast. They are actual human beings, and so are we. We should treat ourselves and each other with patience and compassion. And, yes, admittedly our lives pale in comparison with our silver screen heros, but they are our lives, nonetheless. Be a real person. The world is missing them terribly. Take the best but BE the best, too! Make eye contact with the person ringing you out in line at the checkout, and for heaven's sake, be nicer to each other! It is time to stop looking for that best-qwalritty-heart B.S. and start acting like best quality people, enjoying best quality lives! It has to be better than living in constant,noble agony, all the while bitterly poking fun at everything. So let's stop!

Friday, June 7, 2013

To scale a wall that scrapes the sky,and at the ground is ten miles wide.Also could not go beneath!This endless wall runs magma deep!I yelled and fought. I flapped around,but wingless birds won't leave the ground.Then, when I had given in,I saw the "wall" was paper thin.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

I found this article online showing a Taco Bell worker, licking the side of a big stack of hard taco shells. This is a cell phone snapshot, courtesy of one of this little clown's friends. Yum Brands Inc, Taco Bell's parent company, which includes many chains we all know, of course SWEARS that these taco shells weren't served to customers. This picture surfaced on "a personal webpage" weeks later. You really expect me to believe that stack of shells didn't get served? -hmhmhmmmbullshit- I would laugh at their flimsy lie, were I not so horrified. I also don't approve of his ungloved hands, for that matter. Teen boy hands should never touch food. Hardly worth complaining about, though, when his tongue is on them! But don't worry, everyone, the Board of Health is going to train that Taco Bell location, the article says. Because this is obviously an issue of safe food handling practices, and not a case where he should be beaten with rubber hoses. And, if you didn't know, this isn't the first questionable Bell related news. It was last year, or the year before, I can't keep track anymore, that we learned they were using sand in their ground beef as filler. First they admitted it and then denied it. Idiots! Well I didn't like the sand story, so I did a half-ass boycott of Taco Bell for a while. Then I would only order chicken items. Then I got over it. I justified it like this; sand sometimes gets into shrimp and scallops. Their job in the ecosystem is to filter the substrate at the bottom of rivers and oceans. That entails literally sucking on sand crystals until they are clean. Their random sandiness never stopped me from eating bottom feeders. I reasoned sand in taco meat wasn't actuallysobad, right? No, it's actually pretty terrible. I know. Licked taco shells, however, takes it to a whole new level. Though I try not to think about it, heaven knows food service workers around the world (particularly those who think they are being funny OR feel they are righting a slight from a rude patron) do gross stuff to food. It is a fact. I would NOT even doubt that someone, somewhere, has stirred a turd into the sauce. Oh yes. Bet on it. Granted, a turd is certainly worse than an ugly kid's saliva, assuming he doesn't carry particular types of STDs that can be passed orally, but I will never look at any pre-handled convenience food the same way again... or ever, at all. It's one thing to imagine that they do it to rude people, which I NEVER am by the way, to avoid such a reaction. It is another thing entirely to contaminate BULK food items meant for the public! And while it is easy for me to say, "Eww gross. I'm not eating that." I have other options. I haven't always, so I can empathize with the people who saw this picture and were appropriately revolted, but understand they can't afford the luxury of boycotting fast food chains. How must they feel when this may be the only way to feed their family? It isn't just disgusting. It is heartbreaking! How many families survive on those 79 cent tacos? Imagine a hungry child having to eat this jaded little creep's pranked food. Or hell, anyone in need. One might assume that an impoverished adult has made certain life choices to end up needing a value menu to live, but does that mean they deserve this? Absolutely not! And, hey, sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you suddenly find yourself in desperate economic straits, through no fault of your own. Pretend you only had one dollar to try and fill your belly with and you saw this picture. Now, what little consolation a drive thru could have provided is tainted, all thanks to some thoughtless suburban kid with a summer job! I truly wish I had some kind of uplifting insight about those souls in need, who have few options in The Land of the Fee and The Home of the Whopper! We have abundance ONLY because there are so many who have nothing. There is no brighter side of that. And perhaps it isn't good when, as a people, we tend to need everything to be glossed over. Not all endings are happy. Not all good guys win. Sometimes it looks very bleak, but please don't lose heart. Join me in hoping that the pendulum swings in better days for us ALL... and that Karma be swift and thorough!

Monday, June 3, 2013

In my dreams I am near the sea, usually in some sort of house which changes, but has many windows and is high above the ground. The view is utterly picturesque until, in the distance, I see monstrous waves approaching the land. I am oddly unafraid. Detached, a voyeur only, I watch the water rush over everything as it rises to thrash against the pane I am looking through. I calmly turn and walk away with the sound of breaking windows, and an entire ocean, crashing in around me.

I have had this dream at least twenty times over the past several years. It isn't unusual for me to have identical dreams or, even more common, I will have different dreams in exactly the same setting. For instance, the house of windows may remain the same, but sometimes the ocean is an unnatural abyss. Not black, but a fuzzy and blinding brightness that, as I watch, gradually consumes all things. If they are meant to be some kind of metaphoric messaging system, I've no foggy idea what these visions are trying to convey. It is their repetition, much more so than their content, which seems significant to me. Of course I never remember that I'd already seen those things many times before. Inside these dreams, as the dreamer, everything is always new. How can my own mind forget itself, inside itself ? Wow!

I am fascinated by the notion that there seems to be some part of my consciousness completely separate from this "me" I think I know so well. I don't believe Freud quite covered every possibility when he broke our psyche down into three facets; the ego, super ego, and the id. We do love labels, so we employ "experts" to tell us what is true. I can forgive the need for humanity to seek out a demystified understanding of what makes everything tick, but curiosity will still win out every time over knowing, for me, since FACT has been proven to either be flexible or deliberately misleading. I wish there was some way that I could encourage others to question instead of immediately Googling everything. I feel it is the great tragedy of becoming an adult; the slow death of wonder. Never mind that our understanding of any subject is extremely superficial. Thank you public education and standardized testing! But what a gift! There is an abundance of magic in what we don't know. So much about the brain and body cannot be explained. The scalpel has never found that thing in us which loves and intuits or allows for vivid dreaming. The most powerful microscope discovers that solid matter is actually comprised of a vast emptiness between tiny, vibrating specks. Indeed, most miracles entirely befuddle the fact finders and label makers. All knowledge is, at best, a temporary interpretation awaiting an updated opinion. Remember that the next time you shrug off a coincidence or experience something you truly cannot define. And even if you never think about it, know that there is an entire aspect of yourself you will never meet, who, if you're lucky, will randomly reveal the most unusual imagery when you close your eyes in this reality, and open them again in theirs. Consider the fact that you are not only an improbability of sophisticated, bioelectrical hardware with nerves, organs, bones and blood; but a nebulous and unquantifiable singularity in an abjectly unknowable universe.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

The television and twisted carnival one can visit through their ethernet connection continually pit us against each other. Clearly some very savvy and unscrupulous people have perfected profiteering from all of us hating one another. Surely there are pockets of people who don't watch the news, read the paper (on some electric device) never see homelessness or abuse. Their world must be so different from the one I see, the view most of us have had force fed to us to keep us separated and controllable.

But there is an invisible pendulum, always swinging. Whatever events are playing out today will one day pass away and new thoughts and (hopefully evolved) people will take their place. So swing pendulum! Swing! I heard that somewhere, somewhen, and it really spoke to me on a deeply spiritual and philosophical level. I say it to myself, or some version of it, when I feel the darkness about to cover me. I've been saying it a lot lately. News story to news story. Tragedy to tragedy. There is so much ugliness pouring out of these black screens that I have decided I MUST abandon them. It isn't enough to try ignoring these messages. I can't. And anyway, ignoring the weather report doesn't save you from the tornado. Neither will knowing a tornado is coming toward you protect you from its path.

I feel I must seek out like-minded people and experience community, rather than pay to watch people (real and imaginary) hating, killing and maiming each other from my sofa. All these "reliable sources" only perpetuate this idea that humanity is a lost cause. I have forsaken us, too. It is safer. Smarter? I don't think so. Not anymore. Our whole world seems to be falling in on itself and can it be any other way when we have collectively abandoned it? Aren't I encouraging the hate and villainy to spread by being so completely absent? Yes. When I resolve to experience ACTUAL people in the world hopefully something else, something better, will begin to happen.

It might sound naive, but I assert that unless we reconnect as a people (in the flesh, not through virtual pokes and thumb votes), the forecast is every bit as bleak as they threaten. Divided and fallen. That is the goal. There can be no doubt about it. I absolutely refuse to accept such a fate while sitting on my hands, convinced of my cynicism. Hopefully others are having similar epiphanies. Maybe we will all emerge from our hideyholes and virtuality to relearn that we can love one another. But even if I step out into the storm and perish, it can't have made more sense to languish forever in exile like this; rendered inanimate by manipulative plastic toys and rationalizing my disconnection! So I'm coming out... swinging!